


I Will Wait For You If You Do For Me

by gakarian



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: AU where Gorim doesn't remarry, AU where the Warden survives, AU where they live happily ever after, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 22:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8865364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gakarian/pseuds/gakarian
Summary: Gorim Saelac has always had a special kind of love for his Lady. (Title stolen from an I Fight Dragons song.)





	

There were many things Gorim Saelac could say about Lady Aeducan.  She was kind, beautiful, intelligent, and, of course, among the best of warriors, as was true of every Aeducan. She had a wit like a fox, features as strikingly beautiful as the first Paragon, and fingers quicker than the best of dwarven thieves.

She had defeated the greatest warriors of the Provings many years in a row and humbly gave the prizes of each tournament to the runner-up. While she was a sneaky, cunning rogue on the battlefield and in the arena, she was humble and mighty, and gained the respects of almost every house by the time she was twelve.

When she could sneak away from the palace, she frequented Dust Town to give coin to the needy and casteless, even those who did not deserve her attention. She was more generous and kind than anyone deserved.

When she wasn’t doing all of that, she read.  She spent hours every night learning dwarven history, and when she ran out of books on dwarven history (he had no idea _how_ , as there were more than enough books to last one’s lifetime, especially in the palace’s library), she started read books written by humans. And when it came to the Shaperate, no one had more respect for the shapers than she. She appreciated the work of those old men and women who accounted for every major event in dwarven history; the truth, no matter the house nor caste.

Truly, what he always said of his Lady was that she was a force to be reckoned with, both in the on the road and in the palace.  Once she set her mind to something, there was no way to change her mind; on the contrary, her quick wit and charming mouth had a way of changing _anyone’s_ mind.

Which, of course, was why he first got into trouble with the guards when he was seventeen. 

He had been escorting her around the Diamond Quarter whilst the merchants were offering their goods.  He’d only just started growing stubble on his chin, and the Lady was even shorter than he was.  Lady Aeducan looked increasingly bored after a while, so Gorim had insisted on buying her one of those silly rock candy sticks, and they sat along a balcony overlooking the lava spume below.

She was quiet, quieter than she usually was.  “May I speak freely, Lady Aeducan?”

“Please do, but only if you call me by my first name.” She twirled the rock candy stick between her fingers, her eyes never leaving the bright lava below.

“Reha…” He tilted his head. “It seems that something is wrong.  Would you wish to talk about it?”

The corners of her mouth turned upward ever so slightly, and her eyes darted across the merchants’ stalls nearby.  “You worry too much, Gorim. I am fine.”

“But you’re so quiet,” he said.  Her smile was contagious. “With all due respect, you’ve usually talked my ear off by now.”

She laughed, catching his eyes briefly.  Her eyes were just like her father’s: stone grey, with little flecks of a strong, emerald green.  He had committed her eyes to memory ever since they’d met.  “Maybe I’ve not much to talk about.”

“I find that unlikely, my lady.”

“I should snatch that quick tongue right out of your mouth,” she giggled.  Her eyes twinkled.  “Perhaps you’re right. I did wish to speak to you, but I… had no idea how to go about it.”

“What about?”

She glanced around quickly, then murmured, “Come to my room at midnight tonight. It’s important.”

Gorim blinked.  “I…” He shook his head, his face reddening, voice lowering. “My lady, even if it wasn’t extremely inappropriate to sneak into a lady’s quarters, I don’t think it is a good idea.”

“What if I told you I was in danger?” She raised her eyebrows, huffing a bit.  He had only served her for a few years, but that was how he knew she was lying.

“For what it’s worth, my lady, I wouldn’t believe you.”

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.  “Okay, fine.  But it’s not sneaking in if I ask you to come, is it?”

“It…”  He sighed, rubbing his neck.  “It is still very inappropriate. Why can’t we discuss whatever it is here?”

She smiled, taking a small bite of the rock candy. “Why do you think?”

“With all due respect, ma’am, please stop being coy.”

Lady Aeducan laughed, her tongue becoming red from the candy. “I’ve much to speak to you about, and I’m tired of having everyone’s eyes on me while I talk to you.  Please, just humor me.”

And so, he did.  That night, he left his bunk, watched the guards intently, and as they rotated, he gently knocked on the door of the Lady’s room, and she quickly let him in.

“Took you long enough,” she teased, closing the door behind him.  He took a moment to revel in the ridiculous size of the room; being the King’s daughter certainly had its benefits.  She had many books on many shelves, and next to her nightstand she had a small replica of Orzammar, encased in blue crystal.  Despite being covered in books and random gifts from other houses, such as expensive but useless daggers and ceremonial armor, her room had charm, just like her.  “Hello?”

“Ah, apologies, my lady. I was… Ancestors, this room is large.”

She smiled, leaning against the wall.  “It’s a bit messy, and I’m sorry for that.”

He shook his head, standing at attention.  “It’s wonderful, ma’am.”

“Enough with the pleasantries, Gorim.”  She stepped idly towards him, her hands behind her back, eyes peering into his.  He could feel sweat begin to bead on his forehead.  “We’ve enough to speak about.”

“What… did you want to speak of, my lady?”

She tilted her head, smiling gently as she took one hand and placed it on his shoulder.  “Relax.  I’m not going to fire you or anything.”

His shoulders relaxed, as if to show her he was fine, but everything else in his body was tight.  “Then what was it you wished to talk about?”

“I have a request.”  Her hand left his shoulder, finding purchase in cupping his jaw. 

He jerked a bit, stepping back, his face redder than a sunburnt nug.  “My lady…”

She laughed, crossing her arms.  “What? Does my father pay you to show no affection?”

Gorim could only stutter, rubbing his neck.  It seemed he did that whenever he was nervous. “I… Lady Aeducan, this is not… Why are you…”

“I enjoy your company, Gorim.  Is that all right?  Am I allowed to enjoy your company?”

“Of course! It’s just that… you’re…”  He cleared his throat, holding his hands behind his back, and his eyes never left the ground.  “This is inappropriate, your worship.”

“No one has to know.  It can just be between us.”  She stepped closer, but sighed when Gorim stepped back.

“If someone were to find out…”

“No one will find out, Gorim,” she said, stepping closer.  He stepped back, only to hit his head on a bookcase.

“Ah!”  He rubbed his head, and she stepped even closer.  He could see her breath misting up his breastplate.  “My lady, please, if someone were to find out you were having relations with a lower caste, you would be ruined.”

“I’m asking for a kiss, Gorim, not for you to steal my precious virginity.”  He let out a loud sigh, covering his face at the thought, and she laughed again, placing both her hands on his wrists.  “Gorim, please.  I may be married off soon.  I want my first kiss to be with someone I trust, someone I enjoy being with. Not some old ugly noble who voted for my father.”

Her quick wit and charming mouth had a way of changing _anyone’s_ mind. Especially Gorim’s.  Unfortunately, a guard had heard him hit his head through the walls and decided to come in to check on fair Lady Aeducan right as his lips met hers.

A year’s probation.  That was being generous.  Thank the Ancestors Lady Aeducan knew how to sway her father.  Despite the punishment, he was still allowed to be Lady Aeducan’s second. Since that moment, he, unfortunately, had fallen in love with the Lady.  He felt her lips upon his every night as he dreamed, something that would, as far as he knew, continue to only be a dream.

Of course, his Lady enjoyed the taboo aspect of it all, which only egged her on.  She often found him in the winding hallways of the palace with no guards around, catching him in a quick kiss before leaving him in a daze.  When they would go off training together in the Deep Roads, she would lag behind, luring him into an offset in the tunnels only to pin him against a cave wall, kissing him.  Being the naïve young man he was, he felt like his dream was coming true; a beautiful dwarven princess was favoring him, even if she was forced to keep it a secret.  As they grew older, they grew bolder for a short while.  He would leave scandalous love bites wherever he could, _whenever_ he could, and they would often find themselves locked in the storage rooms, hidden behind crates, exploring each other’s bodies as quickly and secretively as they could.

As they came unto adulthood, however, he knew it could never be.  He knew it would be a blight upon her status if anyone ever discovered the feelings they had for each other.  The midnight kisses and storage room love affairs stopped, replaced by the occasional whispered flirt.  One night she confronted him, begging for an explanation.  “You’re breaking my heart here, Gorim.”  Taking her hands gently, he leant in, pecking her lips, then asking that it go no further, for his Lady’s sake.  She was heartbroken, but understood; she kissed him, one last time.

But staring into his beloved’s eyes past the bars of the cell she now stood in made him wish he had taken every chance to kiss her.

As he watched her plead for him to hold her, he wished he had held her every night.

And as he heard her cry as he walked away for the last time, he wished he could have the courage to wipe away her tears and tell her it would be okay.

But she was to be exiled and find her death amongst the darkspawn.  Gorim had told her of the Grey Warden, Duncan, who, if she survived, she could escape the darkspawn with and live amongst the human warriors.  But, once he reached the surface himself after his caste was stripped of him, he heard the news. The Ferelden Grey Wardens had been vanquished in battle at the ancient fort of Ostagar, destroyed by a horde of darkspawn.

He left her with a kiss, and a soft, “I love you.”  That was all he could provide.  Even love could not prevail in death.

At least, so he thought.

Months later, after he had come to the surface and made some coin on his own, injuring his leg in the process, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, meeting him in Denerim and selling his father’s wares in the marketplace.

The life of a surface dwarf was so different than that of a dwarf in the warrior caste; humans were strange and unkind, and every dwarf he met was a merchant, many of them greedy.  His head ached daily from the sunlight.  He had a good life with his father, better than many dwarves who were cast off to the surface.  But he could not stop thinking about his life underground, before his life had been ruined by that treacherous Bhelen.

“Dwarven crafts, fine dwarven crafts direct from Orzammar!” he chanted for the eightieth time that day, standing in front of his cart containing items his father had designed to sell.  His head was growing heavy, and it was only three in the afternoon; he still had three hours until dinner.

A dwarven woman passed by his cart, wearing thick, veridium chainmail.  She was followed by two humans and a blonde elf, all armed and armored to the teeth.  Perhaps this was his next sale.  A cowl covered the woman’s face, but she stopped, turning to look at his wares displayed on his cart.

“Hello, mistress,” he smiled, grabbing a grey iron dagger from the cart.  “I’ve noticed that you’re quite well armed.  Perhaps you’d like to browse my wares? My father crafts everything himself.”

The woman stopped, seeming to stare at him for a moment, before removing her cowl.  Long, braided brown hair spilled from the cowl, and her warm, bespeckled grey eyes met his.

His face dropped, and so did the dagger, clattering to the ground. She bent down, picking up the dagger, and gently holding it out to him with a small smile.

“You’ve got to stop dropping things, love.”

He could only blink, taking the dagger, his hand lingering as it touched hers.  She was real.  This was all real; his lady was alive.

“But you…”  He blinked again, staring down at her hand.  “The Grey Wardens… They died at Ostagar.  How did you… You _survived_?”

“Of course.  That’s my luck, being the last of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden and having to rebuild the order.”  She laughed, elbowing one of the human men beside her.  Gorim didn’t respond, likely in shock; her smile faded, and she stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.  “Gorim, it’s okay.”

His eyes met hers, and he felt an almost uncontrollable urge to hug the woman.  “Lady Aeducan, I…”

“I’m Lady Aeducan no longer, remember?”  She gave a soft smile.  “It’s better, in my opinion.  You know I’ve always preferred Reha.”

He couldn’t help but to laugh, reaching up to place his hand upon hers, shaking his head.  She was such a beautiful sight.  Nothing brightened his spirits like his lady. “I… As you say, Reha.  But you’ll always be my lady.”

“How are you, my old friend?” she said, gently squeezing his hand before pulling away.  “Selling weapons and armor now, are you? Like eighty percent of dwarves on the surface?”

He smiled, his face reddening sweetly when she squeezed his hand, and nodded.  “The only way to make work for yourself, truly.”

“Anything new in Denerim? Or just in your life?” Reha smiled.  “I’ve missed you, dear. I was hoping the Blight hadn’t caught up with you yet and I’m pleased that it hasn’t.”

_I’ve missed you too. More than you could ever know._ “It almost did.  I was attacked on my way to the surface. A Hurlock crippled my leg before we could get away.”

Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth.  “That’s horrible! Oh, I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”

He laughed, taking her hand quickly and patting it.  “Don’t worry about me, my lady.  I can still fight; I just limp a little now.”

She gave a coy eye. “Ancestors preserve us, Gorim, I wouldn’t let you fight in that state if you were the last dwarf warrior in Thedas.”

“You break my heart, Reha.”

“And your other leg if you even think about fighting again,” she giggled. “Anything else?  Have you met a pretty lady to call your own yet?”

“I’m hopeful for one in particular.  She’s standing right before me.”

Reha laughed loudly, covering her face with a hand to hide her blushed cheeks.  “Just as much of a charmer as you used to be, love.”  She looked at her companions for a moment, then leant in briefly, pecking his lips.  He turned red to the tips of his ears, eyes widening, and she whispered in his ear, “I’ve a few things to do still. I’ll be back for you.”

Months later, Reha had only returned once to see him, and it was a quickly ended reunion.  Her duties as a Grey Warden had kept her fully occupied, to his discontent, and she left quickly, but not before giving him another kiss.

It was a long, lonely day. Many human nobles passed by his cart and turned their noses up at him.  There was an ominous feeling across the entire town, strangely enough, though he tried to ignore it.

Until the darkspawn attacked.

There was little to no unrest for the first hour.  He, and others, only noticed it because a large group of soldiers had come marching from the palace towards the front gates, but it didn’t seem like there was much to worry about, until the captain of the guard had gathered the attention of the merchants in the district.  They were all quickly told to head back to their homes, that the darkspawn were verging on the town and the soldiers were doing whatever they could to keep them from coming into the city.

He panicked.  Despite his crippled leg, he quickly made his way back to his home and barricaded his door.  He took up arms and grabbed his old shield and sword from his days underground, and waited.

 

* * *

 

Aeducan’s blade was soaked in the black blood of the darkspawn.  As she wiped it clean on the armor of her leg, she took a breath, glancing around quickly at the bodies that surrounded her.

It wasn’t just the bodies of darkspawn that covered the ground.  It was the death of Denerim citizens; women, children, soldiers who had died during their duty.  Nothing could desensitize her to that sight, no matter how many darkspawn she killed.

And all she could do was stare at the faces that littered the ground, hoping she wouldn’t see Gorim’s face amongst them.

 “Reha?” Alistair was wiping the dark blood from his face, panting.  They had just killed the last horde of darkspawn to catch up with them, for now. “You all right?”

She stared for a moment more, until she sighed, sheathing her dagger.  “Do you think there are survivors?”

 “There’s always a chance.” He patted her shoulder.  “There’s always survivors.  We survived, did we not?”

She paused, looking around once more before nodding.  “You’re right.” _I hope you’re right, at least._

 

* * *

 

 

Her head felt heavy yet hollow, like she’d drank the gauntlet of darkspawn blood all over again.  She lifted her head to find that she’d been lying on the ground, which explained the throbbing in her forehead. Her arms, stained with blood and scraped all to hell, were weak and could barely hold her up as she tried to stand.

She stumbled, her head hitting the ground again, and she let out a pained huff, tightly shutting her eyes as she strained through the pain and managed to stand.

“You’re awake!”

Her eardrums rang at the sudden exclamation, and she covered her ears, taking in a harsh breath.  She felt a hand on her arm, and she opened her eyes, seeing the face of Alistair barely inches away from her own. She uncovered her ears as he tried to get her attention.

“…you okay?  Can you hear me?”

She backed away slightly, looking around, her vision spiraling. “I… Where are we?”

“We’re in the Gnawed Noble Tavern… what’s left of it, I guess.  Gorim brought us here.  Don’t you remember?”

_Gorim_.  “He’s alive?  Where is he?”

“He’s in the other room, but you should really—” He trailed off when she scrambled up, starting to look around, and he grabbed her arm.  “What are you doing? You just defeated the bloody _Archdemon_ , you’re all beat up—”

“Shut up.”  She shook him off, headed straight for the door, and Alistair only sighed, leaning against the bar.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw him.  He was leant against the front door with his sword and shield, beaten and bruised, barely able to hold himself up.

“Gorim!”  She rushed to him, and he dropped his weapons in surprise, letting himself be pulled into an embrace.  He almost collapsed on top of her, and she held him up as best as she could.  “Oh, Gorim, I thought the worst—I was afraid that you’d—”

“Shh.”  He rested his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes.  “My lady, I am fine.  Are you okay?”

She smiled, shaking her head, tears in her eyes.  “You could lose all your damned limbs and you’d still ask if I was all right.”

He chuckled weakly, leaning back against the doorway again.  “I’m your second, Reha.  You’re all I worry about.”

“I was so worried for you.”  Leaning in, she pecked his lips, cupping his cheeks softly, as his face was bruised.  “I thought… I thought I’d lost you.”

“You’re incredibly selfless,” he snickered, bringing a hand up to touch her hand on his cheek.

“Stop joking around.”  She kissed him again, and he could only laugh again, muffled against her lips.  She laughed as well, pressing her forehead against his.  “Stop it.  You survived a massive darkspawn attack; that is nothing to laugh about!”

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her hips.  “I think that is plenty to laugh about.  Especially the part where you defeated an _Archdemon_.”

“I don’t want to talk about the bloody Archdemon.”  She pecked his lips again.  “I want to talk about us.”

He shook his head, holding her closely.  “About…us?”

“I thought I’d never see you again.  But you’re here.”  Stroking his cheek with her thumb, she gazed into his eyes.  “We’re both here.  We’re both alive.  It’s a sign from the Ancestors, right?  It’s got to be.”

“My… My lady?”

“I want to be with you for as long as I live, love.”  She smiled widely.  “We don’t have to worry about rules, or reputations, or bloody darkspawn and their bloody Archdemons anymore.  We can just be together.”

Dawning realization appeared on his face, and he almost doubted his ears for a moment.  She wanted to be with him?  For the rest of their lives?

“Gorim?”  She leaned in closer.  “Don’t stare at me like that, not unless you’re planning to sweep me off my feet.”

Gorim blinked, and then grinned, holding her closely.  “I… I won’t be able to do that in my current state, my lady, but I’ll kiss you however many times you need.”

“I can settle for that.”


End file.
